_The prophet complaineth of the desolation of the sanctuary.—He moveth
God to help in consideration of his power, of his reproachful enemies,
of his children, and of his covenant._
Maschil of Asaph.
O God, why hast thou cast _us_ off for ever? _why_ doth thine anger
smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?
Remember thy congregation, _which_ thou hast purchased of old; the rod
of thine inheritance, _which_ thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion,
wherein thou hast dwelt.
Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; _even_ all _that_ the
enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.
Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up
their ensigns _for_ signs.
_A man_ was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick
trees.
But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and
hammers.
They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled _by casting
down_ the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.
They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have
burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.
We see not our signs: _there is_ no more any prophet: neither _is
there_ among us any that knoweth how long.
O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy
blaspheme thy name for ever?
Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck _it_ out of
thy bosom.
For God _is_ my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the
earth.
Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of
the dragons in the waters.
Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, _and_ gavest him _to
be_ meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty
rivers.
The day _is_ thine, the night also _is_ thine; thou hast prepared the
light and the sun.
Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and
winter.
Remember this, _that_ the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and _that_
the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.
O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude _of the
wicked_: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.
Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are
full of the habitations of cruelty.
O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise
thy name.
Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man
reproacheth thee daily.
Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise
up against thee increaseth continually.
This is a prayer against the enemies who were then laying waste
Jerusalem, the sanctuary, all the holy places of assembly and of the
worship of God in the land, and even the national cities themselves;
uttering at the same time blasphemies against God, as if he were not
able to succour and defend his people.
It seems also to be a prophecy of the future, and a prayer against
that future devastation which was wrought by those cruel enemies, the
Chaldeans, and by Antiochus Epiphanes; for it was on these two
occasions only that the temple and the city of Jerusalem were
destroyed, with such cruelty as is here depicted.
We also use this Psalm against the Turk and Mahomet; and also against
our Antiochus, the pope; who destroys daily the true church and the
preaching of the word of God, daily despoils and scatters all sacred
and divine things, and every where stirs up and diffuses abroad the
poison of the devil and every abomination.